Page 9 of Promised to the Demon King (The Demon Brides #1)
The skies flooded the ground below on Jonathon Thompson's funeral day. The attendees believed it was a sign that God himself was mournful about such a beautiful soul being taken from those who care so deeply for him. He cried alongside them. After all, it was predicted to be a sunny and warm summer day, but now, the ground was drenched in the tears of the mourning Angels above.
Jonathon was respected by many. He was a loyal member of his church and volunteered at church events and many other programs around his community. He even ran a program with his mechanics business to help those on a fixed or low income receive affordable mechanic help and rates.
There was paperwork to file, and once it was reviewed, you were moved to a program classification that allowed you free tow service. If repairs were needed, labour was free; the client only paid for parts. There was even a payment plan offered for those who didn’t have the finances at the time.
It was sometimes bad for business, but it was good for the community. These specialized programs helped many. Jonathon's favourite clients were single parents. As a single parent, himself, he understood that there were many challenges, and having a working vehicle was beneficial.
With his deal with the Demon King, Jonathon knew he was supported financially; giving back was something he valued more. It was tainted wealth, but even blood money can benefit those in need.
He started this particular program for single parents when Nova turned three. It was her idea, and he used her pure heart to steer the generosity he was fortunate enough to be able to offer.
They were driving back from the zoo. Nova's face was painted as a lioness and Jonathon's as a tiger. The empty seats were filled with balloons and stuffed animals of the ones Nova loved the most.
They passed a broken-down car on the side of the road, and Nova asked her dad to help them after she saw a little boy inside the back seat while the young mother was fanning the steam away from the engine.
Jonathon pulled over and called a tow truck from his nearest shop. Although they couldn’t do much for the car at that moment, Jonathon gave the woman his business card and drove the young mother and her son back to their small apartment.
The neighbourhood wasn’t good, and Nova asked question after question. One of them was: If they didn’t have the money, but her dad did, why not help?
This idea stuck with Jonathon, and within a month, he started the new program called, Brightest Star. It was a tribute to his Brightest Star, his Nova.
His mechanics supported the program—after all, they would be paid regardless. His daughter thought even more of him, and Jonathon was making headway around the community as the most generous and eligible bachelor.
The Mayor, William Deats, held a ceremony to mark the fifth year of the program's existence, and Jonathon was given the key to the city.
Jonathon never paid much attention to the spotlight being on him. He didn’t do it for anyone but his daughter and helped those in need.
This was why his funeral was overpacked. Jonathon touched so many lives on earth and helped so many people. They all came to pay tribute and their respects to an incredibly selfless and kind man. The rain didn’t deter anyone from attending. They understood that the world had lost the closest thing to an angel on earth, and God was sad.
During the youth group he mentored, he expressed to the troubled teens that he was where they were once. He didn’t see the horizon, and because of that, he allowed someone to influence his decision in the wrong direction. It took the birth of his daughter to help him realize the path he needed to be on. He lived regretfully since the deal was struck; unable to retract his agreement, Jonathon fought tirelessly to make up for the stain on his soul by being the best version of himself.
Many of those teens were hired part-time hands around the shops, giving them work experience and something to focus on to build a positive future. This gave them money to help support the broken homes they came from. Offering these programs to troubled teens allowed them to learn a different path. Many took this opportunity and thrived, while others didn’t. Either way, Jonathon never gave up trying to reach more troubled youth and struggling young parents.
Nova looked around the crowd; she wasn’t the only one with swollen eyes. She took in just how much her father was loved, and it tore into her. She looked at the tombstone; her father's hand was etched into the stone beautifully.
‘A true Angel on Earth, a pillar of our community. Forever in our hearts!’
Those carved words shook her.
Her mother didn’t pay for this tombstone; the community pooled together and placed it instead of the small nameplate that Carol had requested.
Nova looked to her side and took in her mother's appearance. She was dressed in bright colours, while everyone else wore black in respect of the deceased. Her hair and nails were freshly detailed and touched up. Although her face was filled with filler and Botox, the corners of her lips curled up. She appeared happy. This drove something within Nova’s heart. She wanted to call her out. She wanted to lash out and make a scene but couldn’t. She would never take away from her father's final send-off. He deserved her to remain in control of herself. She couldn’t break. Not yet.
“A famous writer once said, ‘We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.’ If that is true, then Jonathon made a great life. He was the most giving and devoted community and church member. And judging from the nodding heads I see in front of me, you all seem to agree.
Jonathon Thompson is a testament to hard work, success and never-ending love.”
Father Donovan spoke clearly. He had been good friends with Jonathon for years; he knew that Jonathon was driven to be a better man after his rocky relationship, betrayal and, inevitably, divorce from Carol. Jonathon confided in Donovan often, never revealing that Nova had been promised to the Demon King, Lust, but everything else. He expressed that he allowed his ex-wife to tempt him into sin, and now he only focused on redemption. Donovan had watched a broken man rise and stand true until the very end; this burial was his toughest test as he glanced down at his close friend's closed casket. His eyes wandered to Nova; she was like stone. Her fists clenched as she stared at the wooden box holding her father from her.
Jonathon had confided in Donovan that he felt as though he were running on borrowed time. He felt something or someone was trying to kill him.
Donovan had heard that the police investigation was ongoing. A mechanic like Jonathon doesn’t have a sudden car accident with faulty brakes, especially after all his other near-fatal accidents. Jonathon would never allow any of his vehicles to be faulty, not when they were used to transport his most prized blessing, Nova.
In Donovan’s heart, he suspected Carol. Something about her never sat right with Father Donovan. He felt sin in her very pores.
He watched the way she stared at her ex-husband's casket. Her face was without expression, but he could make out a faint ghost smile, sending a chill down his spine.
“Jonathon and I spoke many times, and he wanted me to remind you all that this is not his end, only the beginning of a new chapter. One that should be filled with growth and renewal. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to reap that which is planted.”
Father Donovan continued to speak. Nova felt his words were meant for her. She had known Father Donovan since she was three years old. He was a kind elderly man who grew close to her and her father.
Many of her father's charities and programs are partnered with Father Donovan. He led the troubled youth group, and when her father offered assistance in giving the reformed youth a part-time opportunity, Father Donovan readily signed off on the idea.
Together, Jonathon and Father Donovan reached many people. Nova saw the pain in Donovan’s eyes. He held it back, but she knew. Only someone as close to her father as they both were, would understand the heartache this moment brought.
With the absence of her father, the world felt less-- kind.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”
People stepped forward and placed a single rose on her father's polished box, one after the other.
The rain seemed to pour down even harder now. The heavens welcomed her father and mourned Earth's loss of such a tremendous and inspiring human being.
Nothing would be the same after that day, and Nova knew it.
Something was coming. She could feel it. She didn’t know if it was a good thing or bad, but she knew that she needed to be prepared for what lay ahead. She lost the man who had always been her rock; her pillar of strength. She now had to stand on her own two feet, standing strong like her father had always taught her to be.
With on final inhale, Nova exhaled and wished her father a safe departure to the Heavens. She hoped that she made him proud from his lofty cloud that he now perched on, watching over her.
“Goodbye, Dad!”
she whispered and turned from the open grave, Roz closely behind her as she walks away with tears in her eyes. She would make sure those who rip away her happiness got their punishment. She would have her vengeance.